2013 Audi S6/S7 First Drive

Latest in a Dying Breed of V-8s: Going for the "S" in S6 and S7 Adds a Margin of Performance to These Audi Sedans

Munich -- If the Audi S6 and S7 were American, they would be the Chrysler 300C, not the SRT8. They are not BMW M5 or Mercedes-Benz E-Class AMG competitors, and Audi is happy for you to know that. The cars will cost about $18,000 less than the M and AMG in the U.S.; they don't compete on power; and they're far less edgy.

The S6 and S7 are exclusive in that their prices will be considerably higher than their more common 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 counterparts, and the V-8 is fading away as an industry mainstream engine choice. For Audi, the turbo V-8 is the new V-10. This 4.0T also finds its way into the Audi A8, replacing that car's 372-horsepower, 4.2-liter naturally aspirated FSI V-8. The new V-8 (414 hp/406 lb-ft) is smooth and devoid of turbo lag, though it doesn't feel like a great power leap past Audi's excellent 3.0-liter supercharged V-6, even with 104 more horses. Torque is up 89 lb-ft versus the V-6, and the S6 weighs about 150 pounds more than the A6.While the 4.0T is the key upgrade, the S models also add air suspension; new diamond-pattern leather seats with the S6 or '7 logo in the headrests; and special badging, wheels, and sundry accouterment that certainly will become part of S-Line appearance accessories for the A6 and A7. The S6/S7 will come in a choice of 12 exterior colors, including Estoril Blue, and will feature twin dual tailpipes in a special rear diffuser.

Dumping the Lamborghini-based V-10 for the blown V-8 gives the new S6 or S7 better performance and 25 percent lower fuel consumption than the old S6, Audi says, though EPA estimates won't be ready until closer to the cars' fall U.S. on-sale date. The old S6 V-10 made 435 horsepower, though torque was lower at 398 lb-ft, and it was rated 14/21 mpg. That comes to about 17/26 mpg for the new Audi S6/S7. Audi cut weight on the A6, and that transfers to the larger A7 as well as the S6/S7. The unibody structure remains high-strength steel, and the aluminum body panels are the same mix as for the A6/A7. About 20 percent of the S6/S7 is aluminum, including cast aluminum for the suspension and sheet aluminum for the exterior skin, like the A6/A7.The S6 and S7 come with active engine mounts and the Quattro all-wheel-drive system with 40-percent front/60-percent rear torque split under normal conditions. It can send up to 70 percent of torque to the front or 80 percent to the rear under nominal conditions. An optional S model sport differential can split that left or right to put maximum power to a single wheel if it has all the traction.The '13 S6 weighs about 88 pounds less than the old V-10 model. Audi's new V-8 has two twin-scroll turbos in the vee, and the cylinder head inlet is on the outside, with the exhaust on the inside. The engine has a cylinder cutoff feature that powers it down to a four-banger at relaxed cruising speeds. The shutoff is hard to detect, and neither my driving partner nor I could find the indicator light on the multi-function dash.

The S6/S7 do trade out the V-6 A-versions' ultra-efficient ZF-based eight-speed automatic with Audi's 7S-tronic dual-clutch automatic. It's a nicely matched transmission with paddle shifters, though I found it more satisfying to let the tranny do the shifting itself.The dynamic sport mode's aggressive shift pattern conspires with the exhaust to provide a throaty V-8 note. Throw in the car's standard four-microphone noise cancellation system, and it seems like that wonderful sound is coming from a car in your rear blind spot. This is as aggressive as an S6 or S7 gets.Even in BMW's backyard, we found mostly wide sweepers and not much in the way of tight, downshift-to-second corners to see how upset the S6 and '7's chassis might get. That's fine, because these aren't sport sedans in the C/D-segment, 3 Series, or S4 sense of the term. Cars like this handle corners like that with the sheer brute force of driver-adjustable damping and big, wide tires. Overcoming physics tends to be more impressive than fun.On the Autobahn is where this class shines, whether 5 Series, E-Class, or S6 and S7. Audi's single-cell grille is usually enough to make quotidian vehicles chugging along at 100 mph in the passing lane move right. You can quickly accelerate up to about 240 kp/h, or 150 mph, before filling the gap in fairly dense traffic, though at that speed, an advanced electronic gizmo intercedes.

At speeds above roughly 220 kp/h (133 mph), the steering can do a strange thing. It nudges you left, then gets a bit loose and light on-center when you don't want it to. It's disconcerting, though the twitchiness never felt out of hand even at these speeds. Audi thinks this was the lane-departure control on an aggressive setting. Fair enough. You can adjust all this stuff within the S6/S7's myriad electronic settings, though you'd better get started early if you don't want to make a day out of it.Electronic settings and a complete array of comfort, convenience, safety, and infotainment gizmos fill the S6 and S7, no more or less so than any BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, or Porsche sedan. Audi's MMI system is easier to set and control than most. You get an array of electronic nannies and safety systems such as lane departure control, and a distronic cruise control that can bring the car virtually to a stop. They're the sorts of things that with a few tweaks will bring us autonomous driving in three or four years, plus such infotainment as an Internet hotspot that will make such autonomous driving necessary.

Being a European launch, there were a couple of things in our test Audis that North America won't get, beside some of the wheel designs you see here. One is the efficiency setting on the Audi Driver Select. It sets the gearing so that under normal throttle, the 7S-tronic upshifts by 2000 rpm, and the car settles into a 1400-1500 rpm cruising range. It seems the right thing to have for daily commutes or when transporting the family around town. On our second-day drive of roughly 150 miles, the fuel tank ran low quickly, thanks to all those Kraftwerk-happy Autobahn blasts. Another is a start/stop system that Audi is considering for the U.S. market at a later date. Audi will make a handsome wood interior inlay available in North America, though not at launch. It combines dark wood with thin layers of aluminum, using a new, expensive process.Notice how I've made it nearly to the end of the review without delineating between the S6 and the S7, two very distinct cars in terms of sheetmetal and market positioning? Mechanically and by driver's feel, they're the same. No, the S6 Avant wagon will not be imported to the U.S. Which of the two you'd prefer is a matter of taste. The S7 has a hatchback rear lid and a pop-up rear spoiler, and is roughly 110 pounds heavier than the S6 four-door sedan (our spec charts round up manufacturer's estimated curb weight). The S6 is a five-seater, with a middle-rear seat, while the S7 is a 2+2. Otherwise, it's a matter of whether you want to spend the extra money for the rakish "four-door coupe" look, or would rather have the stealthier upright traditional sedan.Audi estimates a 4.7-second 0-60 mph time for the S7, 0.1 seconds slower than the S6. Both times are just 0.7 seconds quicker than the supercharged V-6 powering the A6 and A7. (However, we've tested the regular flavor A6 and A7 and found them to be much quicker than Audi claims, with both hitting 60 mph from a standstill in 4.7 seconds.) The S versions should be way down in the low 4 second range. The easier choice isn't between numbers, but letters. The Audi A6 and A7 are exceptional executive-segment sedans, with refined ride, handling, and roadholding for their size, and a good balance between livable everyday fuel economy and neck-snapping straight-line performance. Is it worth the extra cash and reduced fuel efficiency to become part of the increasingly rare brotherhood of V-8 owners?